This is a continuation of my review of the book “The Resignation of Eve” by Jim Henderson. Part 1 Part 2 There are three passages which instruct wives to submit to their husbands: Ephesians 5:21-6:9, Colossians 3:18-25, and 1 Peter 2:11-3:7. I am including whole sections rather than just individual verses, because I believe the
Category: Gender, Relationships, and Sexuality
Book Review: The Resignation of Eve, Part 2 – Women Leaders
This is a continuation of my review of the book “The Resignation of Eve” by Jim Henderson. Click here to read Part 1. Henderson holds that the difference in views regarding the relationship of men to women comes in large part from whether one holds to a pre-Fall or post-Fall paradigm (p. 257). Part of
Book Review: The Resignation of Eve, Part 1
In “The Resignation of Eve“, Jim Henderson explores women’s opinions about women’s place in church primarily through a series of interviews. The book is in one sense a challenging one to read. The writing itself is quite accessible and the stories are easy to follow. Yet no matter one’s perspective, many of the stories shared
Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 4
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Another main theme of the gathering was what a great witness it would be to the world if they saw Christians have healthy, loving friendships between women and men. As Jim Henderson later commented, “It would be powerful for the church to actually ‘lead’ this conversation but I don’t
Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 3
Part 1 Part 2 One woman at the gathering shared that virtually all the men she spoke to, including some respectable guys, said that “all men are alley cats”. (I take “alley cat” to mean that the person can’t control their sexual desire and will always indulge themselves when the opportunity presents itself.) This was
Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 2
Part 1 One point of emphasis from the conference was in the need for people—Christians especially—to understand that friendships between men and women are actually possible and healthy. One single woman shared about how she had kept men at a distance in order to try and “guard her heart”. She later realized that she was
Friendship Between Men and Women: Sacred Friendship Gathering, Part 1
This past weekend I attended the Sacred Friendship Gathering. There was so much goodness squeezed into 24 hours that it was—and is—difficult to take it all in and comprehend all of what happened. First of all, I want to express how impressed I was with the group of people who assembled there (close to fifty
Being Loved
I’d like to suggest that being loved is an action. However, I think it is commonly viewed as a state of being instead. Our perception is that if we have friends and family then we are in a state of being loved. But I’m suggesting this isn’t quite right. I think being loved is something
Shrewd as Snakes: Condescension as Cover for Insecurity
Going along with my previous post, while it might appear that the one condemning others may be boldly standing against sin, this is ironically a sign of insecurity. A person who is insecure about how good they are may try to show the faults of others to “prove” that others are no better. A person
A Church of Men and A Church of Women?
There are not two churches, the church of men and the church of women, just as there are not Jew and Gentile, slave and free, etc. Of course we have made countless divisions among ourselves. However these are merely illusions. I don’t mean that they don’t exist or don’t matter. What I mean is that